> From my own personal experience, which is still
> an on-going struggle, I found it is a linguistical translation
> problem. I can take English writing classes for the rest of my life
> and still have the same problem, i.e., mixing singular/plural, tenses,
> subject/verb mix ups, and so forth.
> wthomas@u.washington.edu (Wesley Thomas)
It makes lots of sense that Navajo speakers acquiring English as a second
language should have these kinds of difficulties. It would stand to reason
that the grammatical differences between English and Navajo should be much
more profound than those between English and other Indo-European (e.g.
Germanic, Romance) languages. I'm sure there are others who could address
this question in more depth than I can, but I can offer a few observations
as a student of Navajo grammar. Navajo nouns are not usually directly
inflected for number, though some can be:
e.g. stem nouns:
k'os =3D cloud
dak'os =3D clouds
e.g. kin terms or some age-related terms:
ashkii =3D boy
ashiik=E9 =3D boys
Since the subject and direct object of a Navajo sentence are represented in
the verb by pronominal prefixes, the number (singularity/plurality) of a
noun is often expressed by inflecting the verb-incorporated pronoun instead
of inflecting the noun:
e.g. Ashkii naalnish. =3D The boy is working.
Ashkii danaalnish. =3D The boys (severally) are workin=
g.
instead of: Ashiik=E9 naalnish. =3D The boys are working.
=46or more in-depth information (and better examples), you might consult
Robert Young and William Morgan's *The Navajo language: A Grammar &
Colloquial Dictionary, 1987, UNM Press, Albuquerque, pp. 7-8, 62-63*
I would bet that the Navajo Tribe has probably developed special resources
for people who teach English for Navajo students. You might try the Din=E9
Studies Department at NCC in Tsaile, AZ (602) 724-3311 or the Tribe's
Division of Education (602) 871-6744 in Window Rock. Does anyone know more
about this?
*******************************************************************
Bill Nichols
VOX: 708-866-7288
e-mail: ifm841@lulu.acns.nwu.edu
grad student, anthropology
Northwestern University
Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
VOX: 708-491-5402
=46AX: 708-467-1778